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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Bohol: Two Sides of Bilar Man-Made Forest

Bilar Man-Made Forest is one of Bohol's famous tourist attractions. Located about 40 kilometers from Tagbilaran City, vehicles going to Chocolate Hills in Carmen regularly pass along this route making it a popular stop for tourists. Tall mahogany trees shaded both sides of the road stretching for about 2 kilometers, and passers-by will immediately feel the abrupt drop in temperature even during hot summer days.

The history of Bilar Man-Made Forest dates back to the 1960s. It is part of then-President Diosdado Macapagal's nationwide reforestation propgram. Vast hectares of land were planted with mahogany to replace trees lost to slash-and-burn farming in Bohol.

However, despite being done with good intentions and becoming a popular attraction, there's another side of Bilar Man-Made Forest not known to many. Lately, I found out that mahogany forests are harmful to the Philippines' environment. It is because Mahogany is not native to Philippine soil thus local organisms will not thrive in such forests. In short, it is not good for biodiversity. (You can read about this in my friend's blog HERE)

With tree-planting activities being done everywhere, I hope proper authorities will stress the importance of planting only seedlings of native species. While reforestation is badly needed to help our environment, local organisms also need to thrive in such environment to ensure a healthy ecosystem.

7 comments
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I love Bohol! Aside from the fact that it is the home of the famous Chocolate Hills, it also have other tourist spots to boast. I have been here once and I can say that the place is truly magical. Great views and culture!